Collingwood’s Sarah D’Arcy has been offered a two-game AFLW suspension by new match review officer Michael Christian.
The Pies forward kicked Carlton’s Sarah Hosking in the groin in an ugly third-quarter incident during the Blues’ eight-point win in Friday night’s season opener at Ikon Park.
After taking an intercept mark and falling to the ground, D’Arcy lashed out with her left foot and connected with Hosking.
The force of the blow lifted the Blues midfielder off her feet and propelled her back into the path of the umpire, who immediately reported D’Arcy and paid a free kick against her.
The incident was a test case for the AFL’s new disciplinary process as well as an indication of the weighting given to penalties for players in the AFLW compared with the men’s league.
It’s understood Christian has the freedom to take into account the short length of the women’s season, played over seven rounds, when coming up with a penalty.
New AFL football boss Steve Hocking scrapped the maligned match review panel at the end of last season and installed Christian in a bid to streamline the disciplinary process.
In the only other charge laid, Western Bulldogs skipper Katie Brennan can accept a reprimand for rough conduct on Fremantle’s Stephanie Cain.
The Bulldogs’ Bonnie Toogood was cleared of wrongdoing in a collision with the Dockers’ Ashlee Atkins during the Dogs’ 26-point win at Whitten Oval.